JP2021518013A - Surveillance system for industrial machinery with dynamically adjustable computing units - Google Patents

Abstract

Flexible monitoring systems and corresponding usage are provided. The system can include a base including a backplane and one or more monitoring circuits. The monitoring circuit can be designed using a common architecture that is programmable to perform different predetermined functions. As a result, the monitoring circuit can be shared between different implementations of the flexible monitoring system. Multiple bases that can be communicably linked in a way that establishes a common backplane between each base formed from the individual backplanes of each base. Each monitoring circuit is not limited to transmitting and / or receiving data from the backplane to which it is physically connected, but instead communicates along a common backplane. Can be done. Computational processing power can be increased or decreased independently of the input signal received by adding or removing processing circuits from the monitoring system. [Selection diagram] FIG. 1A

Description

(Cross-reference of related applications)
This application is an international patent application claiming priority benefit to US Patent Application No. 15 / 947,762 filed on April 6, 2018 under Section 119 (e) of the US Patent Act. , The entire disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.

Many industries, such as hydrocarbon refining and power generation, can rely heavily on the operation of machinery and, in some cases, on the continuous operation of machinery. In these environments, failure of one or more machines can result in significant costs due to loss of production and potential injury to workers, as well as repair costs. Given these risks, it may be common to monitor specific operating parameters of one or more mechanical components. Measurements of operating parameters can provide an indicator of the mechanical condition of a mechanical component, thereby performing preventative maintenance (eg, repair, replacement, etc.) on the mechanical component before failure. Will be possible. This monitoring can provide one or more long-term benefits such as reduced manufacturing costs, reduced equipment downtime, improved reliability, and improved safety.

Generally, systems and methods for protection and / or condition monitoring of machines such as industrial machines are provided.

In one embodiment, a system is provided, which may include at least one backplane, an input circuit, and at least one processing circuit. At least one backplane can be configured to be connected to a plurality of circuits and to receive monitoring data from at least one of the plurality of circuits connected to the backplane. The input circuit can be connected to at least one of the backplanes and can be configured to receive sensor signals from the sensor that represent monitoring data, including measurements of operating parameters of the mechanical components. .. The input circuit can also be configured to transmit monitoring data to the backplane to which the input circuit is connected. At least one processing circuit can be connected to one backplane of at least one backplane. At least one processing circuit obtains a selected portion of the monitoring data from the backplane to which the at least one processing circuit is connected, determines a value that characterizes the selected monitoring data, and determines the determined value. It can be configured to transmit to the backplane to which at least one processing circuit is connected and to execute at least one of them. The number of processing circuits connected to at least one backplane can be independent of the number of input circuits connected to at least one backplane.

In another embodiment, the system can include a first processing circuit and a second processing circuit. The first processing circuit can be a first protection processing circuit connected to the first backplane. The first protection processing circuit obtains the first part of the monitoring data from the first backplane, determines the first part of the value based on the first part of the monitoring data, and the value. The first portion of the data can be configured to transmit to and to the first backplane. The second processing circuit can be a second protection processing circuit connected to the second backplane. The second protection processing circuit acquires the second part of the monitoring data, which is different from the first part, and determines the second part of the value based on the second part of the monitoring data. , Sending a second portion of the value to a second backplane, and so on.

In another embodiment, the first protection processing circuit obtains a second portion of the value from the second backplane and determines the value based on the first and second value portions. It can be configured to send the determined value to the first backplane and to do so.

In another embodiment, the first and second backplanes can be the same backplane.

In another embodiment, the input circuit can be connected to a first backplane.

In another embodiment, the input circuit can be connected to a third backplane, which is different from the first backplane, and the system may further include a first bridge circuit and a second bridge circuit. can. The first bridge circuit can be connected to the first backplane. The second bridge circuit can be connected to the third backplane and can communicate with the first bridge circuit. The first and second bridge circuits can form a common logic backplane that includes a first and third backplane. The first and second protection processing circuits can be configured to acquire the first and second monitoring data portions from the third backplane via the common logic backplane.

In another embodiment, the first and second backplanes can be different backplanes, and the system can further include a first bridge circuit and a second bridge circuit. The first bridge circuit can be connected to the first backplane. The second bridge circuit can be connected to the second backplane and can communicate with the first bridge circuit. The first and second bridge circuits can form a common logic backplane that includes a first and second backplane. The first protection processing circuit can be configured to obtain a second portion of the value from the second backplane via a common logic backplane.

In another embodiment, the system can include a first processing circuit and a second processing circuit. The first processing circuit can be a first state processing circuit connected to the first backplane. The first state processing circuit can be configured to acquire the first part of the monitoring data from the first backplane and output the first part of the monitoring data to the network. can. The second processing circuit can be a second state processing circuit connected to the second backplane. The second state processing circuit can be configured to acquire the second part of the monitoring data from the second backplane and output the second part of the monitoring data to the network. can. The first and second state processing circuits may be prohibited from transmitting data to any one of the at least one backplane.

In another embodiment, the first and second backplanes can be the same backplane.

In another embodiment, the input circuit can be connected to a first backplane.

In another embodiment, the input circuit can be connected to a third backplane, which is different from the first backplane, and the system may further include a first bridge circuit and a second bridge circuit. can. The first bridge circuit can be connected to the first backplane. The second bridge circuit can be connected to the third backplane and can communicate with the first bridge circuit. The first and second bridge circuits can form a common logic backplane that includes a first and third backplane. The first and second state processing circuits can be configured to acquire first and second monitoring data portions from the third backplane via a common logic backplane.

Methods for monitoring the machine are also provided. In one embodiment, the method can include connecting multiple circuits to at least one backplane. The plurality of circuits can include an input circuit and at least one processing circuit. In another embodiment, the method can include transmitting monitoring data by the input circuit to the backplane to which the input circuit is connected. The monitoring data can represent the measured values of the operating parameters of the mechanical components acquired by the sensor. The method is determined by obtaining a selected portion of the monitoring data from the backplane to which the at least one processing circuit is connected by at least one processing circuit and determining the values that characterize the selected monitoring data. It can further include transmitting the value to the backplane to which at least one processing circuit is connected and executing at least one of them. The number of processing circuits connected to at least one backplane can be selected independently of the number of input circuits connected to at least one backplane.

In another embodiment, the method can include acquiring a first portion of monitoring data from a first backplane by means of a first processing circuit. The first processing circuit can be a first protection processing circuit connected to the first backplane. The method can also include determining the first part of the value based on the first part of the monitoring data by the first protection processing circuit. The method can further include transmitting the first portion of the value to the first backplane. The method can also include acquiring a second portion of monitoring data from a second backplane by means of a second protection processing circuit. The second protection processing circuit can be a second processing circuit connected to the second backplane. The method can further include determining a second part of the value based on a second part of the monitoring data by a second protection processing circuit. The method can additionally include transmitting a second part of the value to a second backplane.

In another embodiment, the method can include obtaining a second portion of the value from a second backplane by means of a first protection processing circuit. The method can also include determining the value based on the first and second value portions by the first protection processing circuit. The method can further include transmitting the determined value to the first backplane by the first protection processing circuit.

In another embodiment, the first and second backplanes can be the same backplane.

In another embodiment, the method can include connecting the input circuit to a first backplane.

In another embodiment, the input circuit can be connected to a third backplane, which is different from the first backplane, and the method is to connect the first bridge circuit to the first backplane. Can include. The method can also include connecting a second bridge circuit to a third backplane. The method can further include placing the first and second bridge circuits in a communicative state. The first and second bridge circuits can form a common logic backplane including the first and third backplanes during communication. The first and second protection processing circuits can be configured to acquire the first and second monitoring data portions from the third backplane via the common logic backplane.

In another embodiment, the first and second backplanes can be different backplanes, the method is to connect the first bridge circuit to the first backplane and to connect the second bridge circuit to the first. It can include connecting to two backplanes and putting the first and second bridge circuits in a communicative state. The first and second bridge circuits can form a common logic backplane including the first and second backplanes during communication. The first protection processing circuit can be configured to obtain a second portion of the value from the second backplane via a common logic backplane.

In another embodiment, the method can include acquiring a first portion of monitoring data from a first backplane by means of a first processing circuit. The first processing circuit can be a first state processing circuit connected to the first backplane. The method can also include outputting a first portion of monitoring data to the network by means of a first state processing circuit. The method can further include acquiring a second portion of the monitoring data from the second backplane by means of a second processing circuit. The second processing circuit can be a second state processing circuit connected to the second backplane. The method can also include outputting a second portion of the monitoring data to the network by means of a second state processing circuit. The first and second state processing circuits may be prohibited from transmitting data to the first and second backplanes, respectively.

In another embodiment, the first and second backplanes can be the same backplane.

In another embodiment, the input circuit can be connected to a first backplane.

In another embodiment, the input circuit can be connected to a third backplane, which is different from the first backplane, and the method is to connect the first bridge circuit to the first backplane. , The connection of the second bridge circuit to the third backplane and the placement of the first and second bridge circuits in a communication state can be included. The first and second bridge circuits can form a common logic backplane including the first and third backplanes during communication. The first and second state processing circuits can be configured to acquire first and second monitoring data portions from the third backplane via a common logic backplane.

These and other features will be more easily understood from the detailed description below along with the accompanying drawings.

It is a figure which shows an exemplary embodiment of the operating environment including the existing monitoring system.

It is a figure which shows an exemplary embodiment of the backplane of the monitoring system of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an operating environment that includes a flexible monitoring system configured to monitor a machine.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a circuit configured for use with the flexible monitoring system of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the backplane of the flexible monitoring system of FIG. 2A.

It is a figure which shows an exemplary embodiment of the relatively flexible large-scale monitoring system configured for protection monitoring and condition monitoring.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a medium-sized flexible monitoring system configured for protection monitoring.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a small, flexible monitoring system configured for protection monitoring.

An exemplary example of a flexible monitoring system that includes three bases communicably connected by a bridge circuit and has input, output, protection, and state processing circuits distributed between the three bases. It is a figure which shows the embodiment.

Flexible, including two bases communicably connected by a bridge circuit, having an input circuit and an output circuit connected to one base, and a protection processing circuit and a state processing circuit connected to the other base. It is a figure which shows an exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system.

An input circuit and an output circuit connected to a plurality of smaller bases and a protection processing circuit and a state processing circuit connected to a larger base for efficiency, including five bases communicably connected by a bridge circuit. It is a figure which shows an exemplary embodiment of a flexible monitoring system which has.

It is a flow chart which shows an exemplary embodiment of the method for monitoring a machine.

Note that the drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of the subject matter disclosed herein and should therefore not be considered to limit the scope of this disclosure.

Industrial machinery such as wind turbines can be monitored by monitoring systems to ensure operation within acceptable tolerances. In general, machine monitoring measures the operating parameters of one or more of the machine components, determines whether the machine components are operating properly from the operating parameter measurements, and the machine components. May include issuing a warning if it is determined that is operating improperly. These warnings allow for corrective action prior to mechanical failure and can provide benefits such as reduced manufacturing costs, reduced equipment downtime, improved reliability, and / or improved safety.

However, existing surveillance systems may not be very flexible. As an example, a manufacturer can create different types of surveillance systems with different capabilities, called models or implementations. Different monitoring system implementations can include components such as inputs, outputs, and processors that are designed to be used only with those particular implementations. The inability to share components between different monitoring system implementations may require the development of new components for each new implementation rather than leveraging already created components, which is new. May delay the deployment of monitoring system implementations. In another example, different monitoring system implementations can contain different specialized components, each of which can behave differently, so more resources to manage (eg, spare hardware). And software, trained personnel, etc.) may be required. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a flexible monitoring system that includes circuits that share a common architecture (eg, hardware, software, firmware, etc.), with each circuit having a different specified function (eg, input, etc.). It can be configured to perform processing, output, system operation, etc.). By dividing the functionality of the flexible monitoring system into different circuits, new implementations of the flexible monitoring system can be developed quickly, in some cases, by arranging different combinations of components that have already been created. Can be done. Higher capacity processing circuits and / or without developing new implementations of flexible monitoring systems, especially if new applications require additional processing power compared to existing implementations of flexible monitoring systems. Alternatively, more processing circuits can be added.

Embodiments of systems and corresponding methods for monitoring industrial machinery are discussed herein. However, embodiments of the present disclosure can be used without limitation to monitor other machines.

The operating environment 100 including the existing monitoring system 102 is shown in FIG. The operating environment 100 can include a target 102, a sensor 104, and a monitoring system 106 that communicates with the internal network 110a and the external network 110b.

The target 102 can be any component of any machine. Examples of the target 102 may include, among other things, gears, bearings, and shafts. Examples of machines may include turbomachinery, turbines (eg, hydraulics, wind power), generators, and reciprocating compressors.

The sensor 104 senses the operating parameters of the target 102, generates at least one sensor signal 104s representing the measured operating parameters, and transmits the sensor signals 104s to the monitoring system 106 (eg, via field wiring). And can be configured to do. As an example, the sensor 104 can include a probe, a transducer, and a signal shaping circuit (not shown). The probe can interact with the target 102 for the measurement of operating parameters. The transducer can convert measurements of operating parameters into electrical signals (eg, voltage). The signal shaping circuit can regulate and / or amplify the electrical signal to generate a sensor signal 104s (eg, a voltage in the minimum to maximum range). Thus, in one aspect, the sensor signal 104s can include direct or raw measurements made by the sensor transducer. The sensor signal 104s can be an analog signal or a digital signal.

サイクル（Ｈｚ）の周波数に対応する。位相は、基準位置に対して所定の測定位置で測定された振動との間の時間遅延である。したがって、１ｘの位相は、シャフト回転と同じ周波数を有する振動の位相を指し、一方、２ｘの位相は、シャフト回転の２倍の周波数を有する振動の位相を指す。Ｎｏｔ １ｘの振幅は、１×の振幅を除いた全ての振幅を指す。他の実施形態では、拡張されたデータセットは、トランスデューサなど、センサ１０４の１つ又は複数の構成要素に関するメタデータを含むことができる。メタデータの例としては、シリアル番号、リビジョン番号、動作温度、及び健全性ステータスのうちの１つ又は複数を含むことができる。 In another aspect, the sensor signal 104s can also include an extended data set in addition to the direct measurements of operating parameters. The extended dataset can contain various measured variables that depend on the type of operating parameter being measured. As an example, the target 102 can be a rotational component such as a shaft, and the radial vibration can be a variable measured by the sensor 104 in the form of a proximity sensor. Under these circumstances, the expanded dataset has a gap voltage, 1x filtered amplitude, 2x filtered amplitude, 1x filtered phase, 2x filtered phase, Not 1x amplitude, and It can include one or more of the maximum shaft displacements (Smax). The gap voltage is the voltage output from the probe and represents the physical distance between the target 102 and the tip of the probe. The amplitude of 1x is the amplitude of vibration having the same frequency as the shaft rotation, while the amplitude of 2x is the amplitude of vibration having twice the frequency of the shaft rotation. For example, the rotation speed of 1480 revolutions per minute is per second.

Corresponds to the frequency of the cycle (Hz). The phase is the time delay between the reference position and the vibration measured at a given measurement position. Therefore, the 1x phase refers to the phase of vibration having the same frequency as the shaft rotation, while the 2x phase refers to the phase of vibration having twice the frequency of the shaft rotation. Not 1x amplitude refers to all amplitudes except 1x amplitude. In other embodiments, the extended data set can include metadata about one or more components of the sensor 104, such as a transducer. Examples of metadata can include one or more of serial number, revision number, operating temperature, and health status.

The number and type of sensors 104 may be determined by the operating parameters intended to be measured. In one aspect, the sensor 104 can take the form of one or more proximity probes for measurement of vibration, position, velocity, direction of motion, and eccentricity. In another aspect, the sensor 104 can take the form of one or more accelerometers for measuring seismic vibration and acceleration. In a further aspect, the sensor 104 can take the form of one or more temperature probes or pressure probes, respectively, for temperature and pressure measurements. It is understood that the sensor types listed above and the corresponding operating parameters are not exhaustive and that embodiments of the sensor 104 may include any sensor or combination of sensors suitable for measuring the operating parameter of interest. Can be done.

During use, the monitoring system 106 can be configured to process the received sensor signals 104s and output the monitoring signals 106s, 108s. As an example, the monitoring system 106 can be configured to determine the values that characterize the operating parameter measurements. The monitoring system 106 also compares this determined value and / or any measured variable of the extended data set with the corresponding predetermined alarm state in real time and the alarm status (eg, OK, not OK). , Alert, dangerous, etc.) can also be determined. For example, if the target 102 is a rotating shaft and the measured operating parameter is the radial vibration of the shaft, the sensor signal 104s can include the shaft displacement as a function of time. From this sensor signal, the monitoring system 106 can determine the value of the vibration amplitude from the inter-peak displacement.

The monitoring system 106 can also be configured to output the monitoring signals 106s, 108s to the internal network 110a and / or the external network 110b. The output monitoring signals 106a, 108a can include one or more of the measured variables, the determined values, and the determined status of the extended data set. Alert statuses such as alert and dangerous can be communicated to the external system 110 via physical relays on the monitoring system 106 or by monitoring signals 106s, 108s. In another aspect, the monitoring system 106 may additionally or optionally store the sensor signals 104s for subsequent processing.

The internal network 110a can be a plant network that communicates with the machine control system 112. The machine control system 112 can be configured to provide commands to machines operating to control one or more operating parameters of the target 102. The internal network 110a can also communicate with other systems such as computing devices (not shown) running configuration software, human-machine interface (HMI) 114, and / or customer historians 116. The configuration software can be used to provide configuration information, such as a predetermined alarm state, to the monitoring system 106. The HMI 114 can be one or more computing devices that communicate with a user interface device (eg, a display), the operator of the machine confirms the measured operating parameters, and / or the machine control system 112. Allows you to provide instructions.

When configured as such, the surveillance system 106 can facilitate the protection of the machine, including the target 102. As an example, the mechanical control system 112 is utilized to change the measured operating parameters in response to an alarm status notification and to automatically perform the operation of the target 102 (eg, according to programmed logic) to get out of the alarm status. It can be controlled either manually or manually using the HMI 114. Under extreme circumstances, the machine control system 112 can be used to stop the operation of the machine in order to protect the target 102 from damage and / or the operator from damage. The historian 116 can store any of the data contained in the monitoring signal 106s.

The external network 110b can be a business network that communicates with the diagnostic system 120. The diagnostic system 120 analyzes any of the data contained in the monitoring signal 108s received from the monitoring system 106 to diagnose improper operation of the target 102 and / or improper operation of the target 102. It can be predicted before it occurs. Therefore, by providing the monitoring signal 108s to the external network 110b, the monitoring system 106 can facilitate the condition monitoring of the target 102.

The monitoring system 106 is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 1B. As shown, the surveillance system 106 includes a backplane 150, which can be configured to allow communication between different components connected to it. The components may include a measurement processing circuit 152a, a relay output circuit 154a, a measurement output circuit 156a, a configuration and diagnostic circuit 160a, and corresponding interface circuits 152b, 154b, 156b, 160b. Interface circuits 152b, 154b, 156b, 160b can provide a hardware interface for bidirectional communication with their corresponding circuits 152a, 154a, 156a, 160a. The individual circuits 152a, 154a, 156a, 160a communicate selected information on the backplane 150 using a protocol that operates on a bus formed from passive traces extending across the backplane 150. can do.

In one aspect, the measurement processing circuit 152a can be connected to the interface circuit 152b so that the sensor signal 104s received by the interface circuit 152b is directly transmitted to the measurement processing circuit 152a. That is, the sensor signal 104s is not transmitted to the backplane 150. The sensor signal 104s can be accessed by the operator via the output port 162. A plurality of measurement processing circuits 152a and interface circuits 152b can exist one-to-one for receiving the sensor signal 104s. As described above, the measurement processing circuit 152a can be configured to determine one or more values with respect to the operation parameter measurement values included in the received sensor signal 104s. The measurement processing circuit 152a can also compare the determined value and / or the measured variable of the extended data with a predetermined alarm state in real time to determine the status of the target 102. The measurement processing circuit 152a can further output a signal representing the measured variable, the determined value, and the determined status of the expanded data to the backplane 150.

The measurement processing circuit 152a can also format process variables (eg, determined values, measured variables of the extended data set, alerted alarms, etc.) for output to the machine control system 112. .. As an example, the format can be a current in the range of about 4 mA to about 20 mA (also referred to as 4 to 20), to a determined value and / or a measured variable compared to the corresponding scale. Proportional. The machine control system 112 can utilize process variables for process control of the target 102.

The status determined by the measurement processing circuit 152a can be obtained from the backplane 150 by the relay processing circuit 154a. The relay processing circuit 154a may include a relay that is programmed to operate and signal an alarm based on the received alarm status. In one example, a relay can operate based on a single status. In another example, the relay can operate on the basis of a Boolean expression (eg, AND or voting) that combines two or more stats. The relay processing circuit 154a can also output a signal representing the alerted alarm directly to the machine control system 112 for process control of the target 102. As an example, the machine control system 112 can stop the operation of the target 102 when it receives the alarm notification. The alerted alarm can also be used to provide an indicator and / or to enter the digital input of the machine control system 112, HMI 114, or Historian 116.

The measurement output circuit 156a acquires data such as determined values, measured variables of extended data, determined status, and alerted alarms from the backplane 150 for transmission to the internal network 110a. can do. Upon reception, the acquired data can be stored by the historian 116 and / or confirmed by the operator using the HMI 114.

The configuration and diagnostic circuit 160a can receive the first configuration command from the internal network 110a and send the first configuration command to the backplane 150 for use by the circuits 152a, 154a, 156a, 160a. The first configuration command can provide one or more set points used by the measurement processing circuit 152a to determine the status. The first configuration command can also provide a logical instruction to identify the status used by the relay output circuit 154a for alarm notification. The first configuration command is taken from the backplane 150 by the measurement output circuit 156a and sent to the internal network 110a, the determined values, the measured variables of the extended data, the determined status, and / or Data such as the notified alarm can be further identified.

The configuration and diagnostic circuit 160a can also receive a second configuration command from the internal network 110a. The second configuration command is the determined value, the measured variable of the extended data, the determined status, which is taken from the backplane 150 and sent to the external network 110b for use by the diagnostic system 120. And the data such as the notified alarm can be identified.

The monitoring system 106 can be applied to a wide variety of monitoring applications (eg, machines in which different components are monitored). Each application may require different amounts of computational power. As an example, a low-count protection monitoring system that measures thrust may require very little processing power. In contrast, large vapor and gas composite cycle applications may require multiple sensors and associated measurements. Further other applications, such as variable speed gearboxes, can involve complex analysis and the use of relatively large amounts of processing power.

To address this variable computational demand problem, the measurement and monitoring system 106 can be configured such that the interface circuit 152b is connected to the designated measurement processing circuit 152a on a one-to-one basis. This architecture is a measurement process specifically designed with sufficient computing power to allow the sensor signal 104s received by a given interface circuit 152b to perform one or more desired analyzes of the received sensor signal 104s. It can be ensured that it is paired with the circuit 152a. To reduce the cost of the monitoring system 106, the amount of computational power possessed by each of the measurement processing circuits 152a may be just sufficient for the intended use.

However, this design architecture can result in the development of many different implementations of the monitoring system 106, each with its own architecture and tools. Also, the existing surveillance system 106 may lack the flexibility to meet the adjusted computational requirements, and as a result, it may be necessary to develop another implementation of the surveillance device 106, resulting in new applications. It can be more difficult for the instrument. Some of these issues can be addressed by using a relatively large implementation of monitoring device 106 with sufficient processing power for most applications, but still require even more processing power. There may be uses for this. Moreover, such large, computationally powerful devices can be too expensive to deploy for machine monitoring, which requires only a small amount of computing power.

One or more of these limitations can be addressed by embodiments of the flexible monitoring system of the present disclosure. FIG. 2A shows an exemplary embodiment of operating environment 200 including the flexible monitoring system 202. The operating environment 200 can be similar to the operating environment 100, except that the monitoring system 106 has been replaced by the flexible monitoring system 202. The flexible monitoring system 202 may include a base 204 including a backplane 206 and one or more circuits 210. The backplane 206 is configured to be communicably connected to two or more circuits 210, and data can be received from at least one circuit 210 connected to the backplane 206. As discussed herein, the data transmitted to the backplane 206 is sometimes referred to as monitoring data. In one aspect, the monitoring data can include information contained within the sensor signal 104s, such as the measured operating parameters of the target 102 and the measured variables of the extended dataset. Monitoring data can also include arbitrary values, statuses, and / or alerts that are determined based on the measured operating parameters of target 102 and / or the measured variables of the extended dataset. .. The circuit 210 connected to the backplane 206 can acquire monitoring data from the backplane 206. In certain embodiments, the backplane 206 can be passive. The passive backplane may or may not contain virtually no logic circuits that perform computing functions. The desired arbitration logic can be placed on a daughter card (eg, one or more of circuits 210) that is plugged into a passive backplane or otherwise communicably linked.

In contrast to the circuits 152a, 154a, 156a, 160a of the monitoring system 106, the circuit 210 can be designed using a common architecture that is programmable to perform different predetermined functions of the flexible monitoring system 202. can. The sensor signal 104s received by one or more of the circuits 210 can be transmitted to the backplane 206, and the monitoring data represented by the sensor signal 104s can be accessed by any circuit 210. This uniform architecture can reduce the number of deployed implementations of the flexible monitoring system 202 and allow sharing of the monitoring circuit 210 between different implementations of the flexible monitoring system 202, of these implementations. Each can reduce maintenance costs and system costs. Also, the same look and feel can be maintained across all implementations of the flexible monitoring system 202, which can reduce operational and maintenance confusion.

Further, the flexible monitoring system 202 may include a plurality of bases 204 communicably linked in a manner that establishes a common backplane 206'(eg, a logical backplane) between the respective bases 204. This common backplane 206'can be formed from the individual backplanes 206 of each base 204. Therefore, each monitoring circuit 210 can communicate along the common backplane 206'to transmit and / or receive data to and / or receive data to the backplane 206 to which it is physically connected. Not limited.

Additionally, as described below, the computational unit of the flexible monitoring system 202, referred to herein as the processing circuit, can be separated from the input circuit that receives the sensor signal 104s. As a result, the number of processing circuits connected to the backplane 206 can be independent of the number of input circuits connected to the backplane 206. The ability of the monitoring circuit 210 to communicate over different bases 204, combined with the ability to share the monitoring circuit 210 between different implementations of the flexible monitoring system 202, combined with the ability to share the amount of processing power available, the sensor signals 104s received. It may be possible to add or remove processing circuits to adjust independently of.

In certain embodiments, the circuit 210 of the flexible monitoring system 202 can be configured to provide at least functionality similar to the circuits 152a, 154a, 156a, 160a of the monitoring system 106. An exemplary embodiment of the circuit 210 is shown in FIGS. 2A-3 and will be described in detail below. As an example, the circuit 210 can include an input circuit 210i, a processing circuit 210p, an output circuit 210o, and an infrastructure circuit 210n. However, it is understandable that circuit 210 can be programmed to perform other functions. Further discussion of circuit 210 can also be found in US Patent Application No. 15 / 947,716 entitled "Gated Synchronous Multipoint Network Interface Monitoring System", which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Therefore, the flexible monitoring system 202 can be configured to receive the sensor signals 104s and output the monitoring signals 206s and 208s to the internal and external networks 110a and 110b, respectively. As described in detail below, a further embodiment of the flexible monitoring system 202 can receive command signals 209s, 211s from the internal and external networks 110a, 110b, respectively, without compromising the security of the machine control system 112. can. As a result, the flexible monitoring system 202 may provide improved flexibility and functionality, while at the same time being a suitable alternative to the existing deployment of the monitoring system 106.

This architecture allows the circuits 210 to be combined in various ways on one or more backplanes 206 to form different implementations of the flexible monitoring system 202. The number of bases 204, input circuits 210i, processing circuits 210p, output circuits 210o, and infrastructure circuits 210n included in a given implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202 can also vary independently of each other. In some implementations, the flexible monitoring system 202 is in the form of a single base 204, including circuit 210 configured to provide signal input, signal output, protection monitoring, condition monitoring, and combinations thereof. possible. In other implementations, the flexible monitoring system 202 may be in the form of at least two bases 204, with circuit 210 configured to perform any combination of signal input, signal output, protection monitoring, and condition monitoring. , Can be distributed between these at least two bases 204. Thus, the input, processing, and output capabilities of the flexible monitoring system 202, as well as the physical location of the different circuits 210 of the flexible monitoring system 202, can be adjusted for a particular monitoring application.

Further, the implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202 can be modified after initial deployment to modify the circuit 210 coupled to a given base 204 if the intended monitoring application changes. Given their common architecture, the circuit 210 can be easily added to the accommodating base 204 and coupled to the new circuit 210. Alternatively, one or more new bases 204 may be communicably coupled to the existing base 204, thereby connecting one or more new circuits 210 to their respective backplanes 206 of the new base 204. The monitoring capability of the flexible monitoring system 202 can be expanded. In some cases, the circuit 210 removed from one base 204 of the flexible monitoring system 202 may be stored as a spare part or redeployed to another base 204 of the same or different implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202. This can be beneficial.

In a particular embodiment, the input circuit 210i may be configured to receive the sensor signal 104s, adjust the signal state on the sensor signal 104s, and output the state-adjusted sensor signal 104s to the backplane 206. can. In contrast to the monitoring system 106 of FIGS. 1A-1B, the input circuit 210i can be separated from the processing circuit 210p so that the number of input circuits 210i of the flexible monitoring system 202 is that of the processing circuit 210p. It can be changed regardless of the number.

The sensor signal 104s can be received from various different types of sensors 104. Examples of sensor types may include, but are not limited to, vibration sensors, temperature sensors (eg, resistance temperature detectors or RTDs), position sensors, and pressure sensors. In particular, in some embodiments, the ability of the input circuit 210i to transmit the sensor signal 104s to the backplane 206 / common backplane 206'can separate the input circuit 210i from any particular processing circuit 210p. Any one or more of the processing circuits 210p allows the analysis to be performed on any measured operating parameter.

An embodiment of the flexible monitoring system 202 may include one or more input circuits 210i. As shown in FIG. 2A, the flexible monitoring system 202 includes two input circuits 210i. Each of the input circuits 210i can communicate with the respective sensor 104 for reception of the corresponding sensor signal 104s (eg, acquired by the first sensor). As an example, one sensor signal 104s can represent first monitoring data including measurements of first operating parameters of the first mechanical component. The other sensor signal 104s contains second monitoring data including measurements of second operating parameters of the second mechanical component (eg, different from the first sensor, acquired by the second sensor). Can be represented. In certain embodiments, the first and second mechanical components may be the same (eg, target 102). In other embodiments, the first and second mechanical components may be different (eg, target 102 and different targets [not shown]). Similarly, in some embodiments, the first and second operating parameters may be the same operating parameters. In one aspect, this configuration can provide redundancy in the event of failure of one of the sensors 104. In another aspect, this configuration can be utilized when the desired measurement (eg, shaft speed) is derived from two sensor measurements coordinated in time (phase). In additional embodiments, the first and second operating parameters may be different. Although two input circuits 210i have been exemplified and described, other embodiments of the surveillance system can include more or less input circuits.

Different types of sensors 104 can generate sensor signals 104s in different formats, and the input circuit 210i performs signal state adjustments suitable for the different sensor signals 104s and then backplanes the state adjusted sensor signals. It can be programmed to send to 206. As an example, the sensor signal 104s received from the position sensor can be received by the position input circuit 250. The sensor signal 104s received from the vibration sensor can be received by the vibration input circuit 252. The sensor signal 104s received from the temperature sensor can be received by the temperature input circuit 254. The sensor signal 104s received from the pressure sensor can be received by the pressure input circuit 256.

In another embodiment, the input circuit 210i may be in the form of an individual contact circuit 260. The individual contact circuit 260 may include a pair of contacts that can be closed by an external switch or relay. The pair of contacts can be closed by the machine control system 112 or by the operator of the machine control system 112 closing the switch. The individual contact circuit 260 can be used to change the behavior of the flexible monitoring system 202. Examples of behavioral changes may include, but are not limited to, different modes of machine operation, having the flexible monitoring system 202 suppress alarm decisions, and resetting the alarm state.

The monitoring system 106 can include individual contacts, but may lack specificity. As an example, the changes brought about by closing the individual contacts in the measuring system 106 can be brought to all alarms generated by the measuring system 106. In contrast, the individual contact circuit 260 of the flexible monitoring system 202 is separated from the protection processing circuit 264, so that the individual contact circuit 260 results only in selected alarm decisions and / or alarm states, or effects. Can be configured to reset.

In a further embodiment, the input circuit 210i may be in the form of a digital data stream input circuit 262. As an example, a digital data stream input circuit 262 draws a digital data stream from a sensor 104, a mechanical control system 112, and / or a reliable third party system, as opposed to an analog data stream (eg, from a sensor 104). It can be configured to receive.

The processing circuit 210p can be configured to acquire arbitrary data from the backplane 206, analyze the acquired operating parameters, and output the results of such analysis. In certain embodiments, the processing circuit 210p can be configured to perform a protective function and may be referred to herein as protection processing circuit 264. In another embodiment, the processing circuit 210p acquires selected data from the backplane 206 and transfers the acquired information to the diagnostic system 120 in order to perform diagnostic and / or predictive functions (eg, condition monitoring). It can be configured to transmit and may be referred to herein as a state processing circuit 266.

The number of processing circuits 210p and input circuits 210i included in a given implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202 can vary independently of each other. In certain embodiments, the processing circuit 210p may be added to or removed from the backplane 206 to adjust the amount of computing resources available for protection monitoring and / or condition monitoring. can. In other embodiments, a given processing circuit 210p can be replaced by another processing circuit 210p having greater or less computing power.

In a flexible monitoring system 202, any of these scenarios can be beneficial under certain circumstances, can be tailored to a given application, and / or modified as needed. It can provide computational flexibility. In one example, machines of relatively low importance may have higher cost pressures and lower processing requirements. In this situation, the implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202 can include a processing circuit 210p with processing resources tuned for cost. In another example, a particular monitoring application may require high processing requirements (eg, for the output of monitoring data to determine the values that characterize the measured parameters). In this situation, the implementation of the flexible monitoring system 202 can include a processing circuit 210p with processing resources tailored to the processing resources. Therefore, the architecture of the flexible monitoring system 202 may be able to adapt to different use cases depending on the priority of the intended monitoring application.

The protection processing circuit 264 and the state processing circuit 266 are discussed below with reference to different functionality. However, the protection processing circuit 264 can be programmed to perform any function of the state processing circuit 266. The state processing circuit 266 can be programmed to perform the functions of the protection processing circuit 264, except that it sends data to the backplane 206 and provides local storage. The ability of the state processing circuit 266 to deter transmission of data to the backplane 206 can deter unauthorized intrusion and facilitate the protection of the internal network 110a and the machine control system 112.

The protection processing circuit 264 can be configured to acquire selected monitoring data from the backplane 206 in response to receiving a protection command. As an example, one or more protection commands may be transmitted to the protection processing circuit 264 in the form of protection command signals 209s received from the internal network 110a (eg, from an operator of the machine control system 112). The selected monitoring data can include at least a portion of the monitoring data transmitted to the backplane 206. The monitoring data transmitted to the backplane can be received from the input circuit 210i or another protection processing circuit 264. The protection processing circuit 264 can also be configured to determine a value that characterizes the selected monitoring data and transmit the determined value as additional monitoring data to the backplane 206.

The protection processing circuit 264 comprises a determined value, another determined value obtained from the backplane 206 (eg, from another protection processing circuit 264), and a combination thereof, and one or more predetermined settings. It can be configured to determine the status of selected monitoring data based on comparison with points. A predetermined setting point may correspond to each alarm state (for example, alert state, dangerous state, etc.). Continuing with the above example, if the determined value is the amplitude of radial vibration, one or more set points shall include alert set points, danger set points beyond alert set points, and combinations thereof. Can be done. In certain embodiments, a single setpoint can be adopted. Assuming the use of the alert and danger set points, the radial vibration amplitude status can be determined as "OK" if the radial vibration amplitude value is less than the alert set point. When the radial vibration amplitude value is equal to or higher than the warning set point, the status of the radial vibration amplitude can be determined as "warning". If the radial vibration amplitude value exceeds the danger set point, the status of the operating parameter can be determined as "danger". In this way, after the status of the selected monitoring data has been determined, the protection processing circuit 264 can transmit the determined status to the backplane 206.

The number of protection processing circuits 264 present in the flexible monitoring system 202 can vary independently of the input circuit 210i. In certain embodiments, protection processing circuits 264 can be added to increase the computing resources available to the flexible monitoring system 202. In other embodiments, the protection processing circuit 264 can be removed or replaced to reduce the computing resources available to the flexible monitoring system 202. Each can be beneficial under certain circumstances and can provide computational flexibility to the flexible monitoring system 202.

The state processing circuit 266 is configured to acquire the selected monitoring data from the backplane 206 and to provide the acquired monitoring data to the external network 110b for use by the diagnostic system 120. can do. In certain embodiments, the selected monitoring data may be acquired by the state processing circuit 266 in response to receiving a state adjustment command. As an example, one or more state control commands may be transmitted to the state processing circuit 266 in the form of state control command signals 211s that can be received from the external network 110b (eg, from an operator of diagnostic system 120). .. On the other hand, the diagnostic system 120 can determine the cause of the status and / or the alarm state by using the acquired monitoring data. Alternatively or additionally, the diagnostic system 120 can also use the acquired monitoring data to predict the occurrence of status and / or alarm conditions before they occur. In a further embodiment, the diagnostic system 120 can store the acquired monitoring data for subsequent analysis. In an additional embodiment, the diagnostic system 120 can transmit the acquired monitoring data to another computing device for analysis.

In a further embodiment, the state processing circuit 266 can acquire selected monitoring data from the backplane 206 based on the detection of a predetermined status. As an example, the state processing circuit 266 can acquire and confirm the status generated by the protection processing circuit 264 to identify a status that matches a predetermined status. The identified status can also include a status time that characterizes the time the status was determined. Upon identification of a match, the state processing circuit 266 can acquire selected monitoring data, including operational parameter measurements corresponding to a given status of duration before and / or after the status time. In this way, the diagnostic system 120 may be provided with operational parameter information related to determining the cause of the status. The given status and selected monitoring data may be contained within one or more state adjustment commands.

The number of state processing circuits 266 present in the flexible monitoring system 202 can vary independently of the number of input circuits 210i. In certain embodiments, the state processing circuit 266 can be added to enhance the ability of the flexible monitoring system 202 to output monitoring data. As an example, if two or more state processing circuits 266 are present in the flexible monitoring system 202, they can each be charged with different measured output of operating parameters. In another example, two or more state processing circuits 266 can output the same measured operating parameters to provide redundancy. Each can be beneficial under certain circumstances and can provide computational flexibility to the flexible monitoring system 202. In a further example, the state processing circuit 266 can be added to implement a custom analysis (eg, when beta testing a new analysis) without interfering with standard operation.

The output circuit 210o is to acquire arbitrary monitoring data contained on the backplane 206 in response to receiving an output command (for example, included in one or more protection command signals 209s received from the internal network 110a). Can be configured in. The output circuit 210o can further output the acquired monitoring data to the internal network 110a in the form of the monitoring signal 206s. Examples of monitoring data acquired by the output circuit 210o may include, but are not limited to, operating parameter measurements, determined values, variables in the extended dataset, status, and alarms.

In one aspect, the output circuit 210o may be in the form of a proportional output circuit 270. The proportional output circuit 270 can be configured to output the monitoring signal 206s in the form of the process control signal 300. The process control signal 300s may be proportional to the process variables, such as direct measurements or variables in the extended dataset, as compared to a given scale. As an example, the current output can be an output of 4 to 20 mA. The process control signal 300s may be provided to the machine control system 112 either directly or via the internal network 110a to facilitate control of the operating parameters of the target 102. The process variables included in the process control signal 300 can be specified by the protection command signal 209s.

In a further embodiment, the output circuit 210o is configured to acquire selected status data from the backplane 206 and act on the received alarm status to alert the alarm. It can also be in the form of one or more relay circuits 272. The notified alarm can be output in the form of an alarm signal 302s. In one example, a relay can operate based on a single status. In another example, the relay can operate on the basis of a given Boolean expression (eg, AND or OR voting) that combines two or more stats. The alarm signal 302s can be provided to the machine control system 112 via the internal network 110a or directly to the machine control system 112 to facilitate control of the operating parameters of the target 102. As an example, the machine control system 112 can stop the operation of the target 102 in response to the reception of the alarm signal 302s. The selected status data and logic used to operate the relay can be specified by the protection command signal 209s.

In other embodiments, the output circuit 210o may be in the form of at least one communication interface circuit 274. The communication interface circuit 274 can be configured to acquire selected monitoring data from the backplane 206 in response to receiving the protection command signal 209s. The selected monitoring data can include one or more of the measured operating parameters, the measured variables of the extended dataset, the determined status, and the determined alarm. The acquired data may be transmitted to the internal network 110a with one or more feedback signals 306s for use by the machine control system 212 (eg for process control), HMI 114 (eg operator display), and / Or may be stored by Historian 116.

The infrastructure circuit 210n can be configured to perform the functions required for the flexible monitoring system 202 to operate. In one aspect, the infrastructure circuit 210n can take the form of a system interface circuit 276. The system interface circuit 276 serves as an access point for transmitting a protection command signal 209s from the internal network 110a to the monitoring system 220, which facilitates the configuration of circuits involved in protection monitoring (for example, protection processing circuit 264, output circuit 210i). Can function. The protection command signal 209s can include any combination of one or more signals including any of the following: selected monitoring data acquired and / or output by each of the protection processing circuit 264 and the output circuit 210i. Identification, alarm setting point for protection processing circuit 264, and logic for relay notification by relay output circuit 272.

In contrast to the monitoring system 106, an embodiment of the flexible monitoring system 202 separates the circuits 210 that make up the protection monitoring function (eg, system interface circuit 276) and the state monitoring function (eg, state processing circuit 266). You can understand what you get. As a result, the protection monitoring configuration can be fully executed on the internal network 110a, while the condition monitoring configuration can be fully executed on the external network 110b. That is, the internal network 110a is not communicably connected to the external network 110b. As a result, the state adjustment command signal 211s can be provided to the state processing circuit 266 without the need for approval from an authorized operator of the machine control system 112.

Understanding the cybersecurity risks inherent in allowing the state processing circuit 266 to communicate with the external network 110b and the backplane 206, the state processing circuit 266 communicates unidirectionally with the data acquisition only backplane 206. Can be limited to. Such one-way communication can be established by any combination of hardware (eg, data diode), firmware, and / or software. In certain embodiments, this one-way communication is provided at least through hardware. As a result, the flexible monitoring system 202 can remain safe from malicious actors while facilitating the rapid configuration of the state processing circuit 266.

In another aspect, the infrastructure circuit 210n can take the form of a power input circuit 280. The power input circuit 280 can provide the ability to connect one or more power sources to the flexible monitoring system 202.

In a further aspect, the infrastructure circuit 210n can take the form of a bridge circuit 282. The bridge circuit 282 can provide the ability to connect the backplanes 206 of two or more bases 204 to each other and form a common backplane 206'for communication between them.

When configured as such, embodiments of circuit 210 are arranged in any combination distributed between one or more bases 204 and have the desired monitoring capabilities (eg, inputs, processes, outputs, etc.). It is possible to form a flexible monitoring system implementation with. Illustrative embodiments of a flexible monitoring system 202 composed of circuits 210 and bases 204 in different groups to provide different monitoring functions are shown in FIGS. 4A-4C, respectively. In each of the embodiments of FIGS. 4A-4C, the illustrated processing circuit 210p may be a single processing circuit 210p or two or more processing circuits 210p, as required for the intended use. Further, if space is available for connecting to the backplane 206, the processing circuit 210p can be further added to the illustrated monitoring system 202.

FIG. 4A shows a flexible monitoring system 202 in the form of a flexible monitoring system 400 that can be considered relatively large, to perform both protection monitoring and condition monitoring for a variety of different sensor types. Can be configured. As shown, the flexible monitoring system 400 includes input circuits 210i such as vibration input circuit 252 (VI), temperature input circuit 254 (TI), and individual contacts 260 (DC). The flexible monitoring system 400 also has a processing circuit 210p such as a protection processing circuit 264 configured to provide a protection monitoring function (PM) and a condition processing circuit 266 configured to provide a condition monitoring function (CM). Also includes. The flexible monitoring system 400 may further include an output circuit 210o, such as a relay output circuit 272 (RO), a proportional output circuit 270 (4-20), and a communication interface circuit 274 (CI). The flexible monitoring system 400 may additionally include an infrastructure circuit 210n, such as a power input circuit 280 (PI) and a system interface circuit 276 (SI).

FIG. 4B shows a flexible monitoring system 202 in the form of a flexible monitoring system 402 (eg, a “medium” system) that can be smaller than the flexible monitoring system 400, to a single type of sensor 104. On the other hand, it can be configured to perform protection monitoring. As shown, the flexible monitoring system 402 includes an input circuit 210i such as a vibration input circuit 252 (VI). The flexible monitoring system 402 can also have a processing circuit 210p including a protection processing circuit 264 (PM). The flexible monitoring system 402 can also include an output circuit 210o such as a relay output circuit 272 (RO) and a proportional output circuit 270 (4-20) that provides an output of 4 mA to 20 mA. The flexible monitoring system 402 may additionally include an infrastructure circuit 210n, such as a power input circuit 280 (PI) and a bridge circuit 282 (BR).

FIG. 4C shows a flexible monitoring system 202 in the form of a flexible monitoring system 404 (eg, a "small" system) that can be smaller than both the flexible monitoring systems 400 and 402, a single type. The sensor 104 can be configured to perform protection monitoring. As shown in FIG. 4C, the flexible monitoring system 404 includes a single input circuit 210i, such as the vibration input circuit 252 (VI). The flexible monitoring system 404 can also have a processing circuit 210p that includes a protection processing circuit 264 (PM). The flexible monitoring system 404 can also include an output circuit 210o such as a relay output circuit 272 (RO). The flexible monitoring system 404 may additionally include an infrastructure circuit 210n, such as a power input circuit 280 (PI) and a bridge circuit 282 (BR).

In a further embodiment, the flexible monitoring system 202 may consist of a plurality of bases 204 communicatively coupled via a bridge circuit 282. In this way, the common backplane 206'can extend across all of the bridge-connected bases 204, with all information from the backplane 206 of each base 204 being any other base. It may be transmitted to the backplane 206 of 204. In each of the embodiments of FIGS. 5-7, the illustrated processing circuit 210p may be a single processing circuit 210p or two or more processing circuits 210p, as required for the intended use. Further, if space is available for connecting to the backplane 206, the processing circuit 210p can be further added to the illustrated monitoring system 202. The plurality of processing circuits 210p may be connected to a single base 204 or distributed over two or more bases.

An exemplary embodiment of the flexible monitoring system 202 in the form of the flexible monitoring system 500 is shown in FIG. As shown, the flexible monitoring system 500 includes three bases 502, 504, and 506, which bases use communication link 510 in their corresponding bridge circuit 282 (BR). They are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other. Communication link 510 can be any communication connection including, but not limited to, electrical cables, fiber optic cables, and wireless communications. The base 502 can include an individual contact 260, a state processing circuit 266 (CM), a relay output circuit 272 (RO), and a communication interface circuit 274 (CI). The base 504 may include a vibration input circuit 252 (VI), a protection processing circuit 264 (PM), a relay output circuit 272 (RO), and a proportional output circuit 270 (4-20) that provides an output of 4 mA to 20 mA. can. The base 506 can include a vibration input circuit 252 (VI) and a relay output circuit 272 (RO). Each of the bases 502, 504, 506 can also include a corresponding bridge circuit 282 (BR) and a power input circuit 280 (PI). The protection command signal 209s can be provided to the bases 502, 504, and 506, respectively, via the common backplane 206'using the system interface circuit 276 (SI) mounted on the base 502.

Another exemplary embodiment of the flexible monitoring system 202 in the form of the flexible monitoring system 600 is shown in FIG. As shown, the flexible monitoring system 600 includes two bases 602 and 604, which bases have a communication link 606 similar to the communication link 510 in their corresponding bridge circuit 282 (BR). Used to be communicatively linked to each other. The base 602 can include all processing circuits 210p, while the base 604 can include all or substantially all of the input circuits 210i and the output circuits 210o. The base 604 can be located away from the base 602, such as in a marshalling cabinet, while the base 602 may remain close to the control room for easy access.

To improve the efficiency of the flexible monitoring system 202 embodiment, the circuits 210 can be separated by function and shared between the corresponding bases 204 via the bridge circuit 282 (BR). An exemplary embodiment of the flexible monitoring system 202 in the form of the flexible monitoring system 700 is shown in FIG. As shown, the flexible monitoring system 700 includes five bases 702, 704a, 704b, 704c, 704d. Base 702 includes both protection processing circuit 264 (PM) and state processing circuit 266 (CM). The bases 704a to 704d are the same and include a temperature input circuit 254 (TI) and a vibration input circuit 252 (VI). The bases 702 and 704a-704d are communicably connected to each other in their corresponding bridge circuit 282 (BR) by a communication link 706, which may be the same as the communication link 510. In this configuration, expensive common circuits (eg, protection processing circuit 264, state processing circuit 266, communication interface circuit 274, system interface circuit 276) are housed in the base 702 and placed close to the control room. , Can be made possible. The input circuit 210i, such as the temperature input circuit 256 (TI) and the vibration input circuit 254 (VI)), is used to monitor some small machines and locally to one or more monitored machines. It can be housed within the bases 704a-704d so that it can be positioned.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of Method 800 for monitoring a machine. Method 800 is described with reference to the flexible monitoring system 202. In certain aspects, embodiments of Method 800 can include more or less movements than those exemplified in FIG. 8, and the movements can be performed in a different order than that shown in FIG. ..

In operation 802, a plurality of circuits can be connected to at least one backplane (eg, 206). The plurality of circuits can include an input circuit (eg, 210i) and at least one processing circuit (eg, 210p). The plurality of circuits can also include at least one of an output circuit (eg, 210o) and an infrastructure circuit 210n. As an example, the circuit can be inserted into a slot or port on the backplane 206.

In operation 804, the input circuit 210i can transmit monitoring data to the backplane 206 to which the input circuit 210i is connected. The monitoring data can represent the measured values of the operating parameters of the mechanical components acquired by the sensor.

In operation 806, at least one processing circuit can perform at least one of the following: to obtain a selected portion of the monitoring data from the backplane to which the at least one processing circuit is connected, and Determining the values that characterize the selected monitoring data and transmitting the determined values to the backplane to which at least one processing circuit is connected. The number of processing circuits connected to at least one backplane can be independent of the number of input circuits connected to at least one backplane.

Illustrative technical effects of the methods, systems, and devices described herein include, as a non-limiting example, flexible monitoring circuits with a common architecture. A common architecture can reduce the number of components managed within a flexible monitoring system and may allow the use of common spare parts across different implementations of the flexible monitoring system. The common architecture of the monitoring circuits can also allow the monitoring circuits to operate in the same way, reducing the problems caused by misunderstanding the differences in the behavior of different monitoring systems. The common architecture may also allow monitoring circuits to be placed in any combination to form new implementations of flexible monitoring systems with the desired machine monitoring capabilities. The monitoring circuit can include a bridge circuit configured to facilitate communication establishing a common backplane between the respective monitoring system-based backplanes. This configuration can allow the monitoring circuit to transmit and / or receive data from the common backplane, regardless of the physical backplane to which the monitoring circuit is connected. Computational processing power for protection monitoring and / or condition monitoring can be increased or decreased by adding or removing processing circuits from the monitoring system, regardless of the sensor signals received.

Specific exemplary embodiments have been described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of structure, function, manufacture, and use of the systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein. One or more examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the systems, devices, and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting and exemplary embodiments, and that the scope of the invention is patented. It will be understood that it is defined only by the claims. The features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with the features of another embodiment. Such modifications and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Moreover, in the present disclosure, components of similar names in embodiments generally have similar characteristics, and therefore, within a particular embodiment, each feature of components of similar names is not necessarily sufficiently detailed. Not stated.

The subject matter described herein is analog electronic circuits, digital electronic circuits, and / or computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structural means and structural equivalents thereof disclosed herein. Or it can be implemented by a combination thereof. The subject matter described herein is for execution by a data processor (eg, a programmable processor, one computer, or multiple computers), or to control the operation of the data processor (eg, an information carrier (eg,). It can be implemented as one or more computer program products, such as one or more computer programs that are tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device) or embodied in a propagated signal. Computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiler or interpreter languages, in the form of stand-alone programs, or modules, components. It can be deployed in any form, including forms of, subroutines, or other units suitable for use in a computing environment. Computer programs do not always match files. A program may include other programs or parts of a file that holds data, in a single dedicated file for that program, or multiple collaborative files (eg, one or more modules, subprograms, or parts of code). It can be stored in the file to be stored). Computer programs can be deployed to run on one computer, or on multiple computers distributed at one site or across multiple sites and interconnected by communication networks.

The processes and logical flows described herein, including the method steps of the subject matter described herein, operate on the input data and function of the subject matter described herein by producing an output. Can be executed by one or more programmable processors that execute one or more computer programs. Processes and logic flows can also be performed by dedicated logic circuits, such as FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) or ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), and the devices of interest described herein are dedicated logic. It can be implemented as a circuit.

Suitable processors for executing computer programs include, for example, both general purpose and dedicated microprocessors, as well as any one or more processors of any type of digital computer. Generally, the processor receives instructions and data from read-only memory and / or random access memory. Essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. In general, a computer also includes or receives data from or transfers data to one or more mass storage devices for storing data, such as magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. Operatively linked to do or both. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include, for example, semiconductor memory devices (eg, EPROM, EPROM, and flash memory devices), magnetic disks (eg, internal hard disks or removable disks), optical. All forms of non-volatile memory are included, including magnetic disks and optical disks (eg, CD and DVD disks). Processors and memory can be complemented by or incorporated into dedicated logic circuits.

To provide interaction with the user, the subject matter described herein is a display device for displaying information to the user, such as a CRT (cathode tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, and the user computer. It can be implemented on a computer having a keyboard and a pointing device (eg, a mouse or trackball) capable of giving input to. Other types of devices can also be used to provide user interaction. For example, the feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (eg, visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback) and the input from the user can be any, including acoustic, audio, or tactile input. Can be received in the form of.

The techniques described herein can be implemented using one or more modules. As used herein, the term "module" refers to computing software, firmware, hardware, and / or various combinations thereof. However, at a minimum, the module should be construed as software, neither implemented on hardware nor firmware, nor recorded on a non-temporary processor readable recordable storage medium. No (ie, the module is not the software itself). In fact, a "module" should always be construed as including at least some physical non-temporary hardware, such as a processor or part of a computer. Two different modules can share the same physical hardware (eg, two different modules can use the same processor and network interface). The modules described herein can be combined, integrated, separated and / or duplicated to support a variety of applications. Also, the functions described herein as being performed in a particular module are in place of or in addition to the functions performed in this particular module and / or in one or more other modules. It can be run by one or more other devices. In addition, modules can be implemented across multiple devices and / or other components local or remote to each other. Additionally, modules can be moved from one device, added to another device, and / or included in both devices.

The subject matter described herein is a back-end component (eg, a data server), a middleware component (eg, an application server), or a front-end component (eg, a user described herein). It can be implemented in a computing system that includes a client computer with a graphical user interface or web browser that can interact with the implementation), or any combination of such backends, middleware, and frontend components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication, such as a communication network. Examples of communication networks include local area networks (“LAN”) and wide area networks (“WAN”), such as the Internet.

As used herein and throughout the claims, the approximate wording is to modify any quantitative expression to which it may change to the extent permitted without resulting in a change in the associated underlying function. May be applied to. Therefore, values modified by one or more terms, such as "about," "approximately," and "substantially," are not limited to the exact values specified. In at least some examples, the approximate wording may correspond to the accuracy of the instrument for measuring the value. Here, throughout the specification and claims, the scope limits may be combined and / or exchanged, and such scopes are specified and unless the context or wording means otherwise. Includes all subranges contained within the range.

One of ordinary skill in the art will understand the further features and advantages of the invention based on the embodiments described above. Therefore, this application is not limited to what has been specifically shown and explained, except as indicated by the appended claims. All publications and references cited herein are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Claims (22)

It ’s a system,
At least one backplane configured to be connected to a plurality of circuits, and configured to receive monitoring data from at least one of the plurality of circuits connected to the backplane. With at least one backplane,
An input circuit connected to one of the at least one backplane that receives a sensor signal from a sensor that represents monitoring data including measurements of operating parameters of mechanical components. An input circuit configured to transmit and perform the monitoring data to the connected backplane.
The at least one processing circuit connected to one of the at least one backplane, and the at least one processing circuit is
Acquiring a selected portion of the monitoring data from the backplane to which the at least one processing circuit is connected.
To determine a value that characterizes the selected monitoring data and to perform at least one of transmitting the determined value to the backplane to which the at least one processing circuit is connected. It comprises at least one processing circuit, which is configured.
A system in which the number of processing circuits connected to the at least one backplane is independent of the number of input circuits connected to the at least one backplane. A first processing circuit including a first protection processing circuit connected to a first backplane, wherein the first protection processing circuit transfers a first portion of the monitoring data to the first backplane. Obtaining from, determining the first portion of the value based on the first portion of the monitoring data, and transmitting the first portion of the value to the first backplane. And the first processing circuit, which is configured to do
A second processing circuit of the monitoring data, which is a second processing circuit including a second protection processing circuit connected to the second backplane, wherein the second protection processing circuit is different from the first part. To acquire the portion of, determine the second portion of the value based on the second portion of the monitoring data, and transmit the second portion of the value to the second backplane. The system of claim 1, comprising a second processing circuit configured to do and do. The first protection processing circuit obtains the second portion of the value from the second backplane and determines the value based on the first and second value portions. The system according to claim 2, wherein the determined value is transmitted to and from the first backplane. The system according to claim 3, wherein the first and second backplanes are the same backplane. The system according to claim 4, wherein the input circuit is connected to the first backplane. The input circuit is connected to a third backplane, which is different from the first backplane, and the system is:
With the first bridge circuit connected to the first backplane,
A second bridge circuit that is connected to the third backplane and communicates with the first bridge circuit, wherein the first and second bridge circuits are the first and third backplanes. A second bridge circuit, which forms a common logic backplane including
4. The first and second protection processing circuits are configured to acquire the first and second monitoring data portions from the third backplane via the common logic backplane. The system described in. The first and second backplanes are different backplanes, and the system.
With the first bridge circuit connected to the first backplane,
A second bridge circuit that is connected to the second backplane and communicates with the first bridge circuit, wherein the first and second bridge circuits are the first and second backplanes. A second bridge circuit, which forms a common logic backplane including
The system according to claim 3, wherein the first protection processing circuit is configured to obtain the second portion of the value from the second backplane via the common logic backplane. A first processing circuit including a first state processing circuit connected to a first backplane, wherein the first state processing circuit transfers a first portion of the monitoring data to the first backplane. A first processing circuit configured to obtain from and output the first portion of the monitoring data to the network.
A second processing circuit including a second state processing circuit connected to the second backplane, wherein the second state processing circuit transfers a second portion of the monitoring data to the second backplane. A second processing circuit configured to obtain from and output the second portion of the monitoring data to the network.
The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second state processing circuits are prohibited from transmitting data to any of the at least one backplane. The system according to claim 8, wherein the first and second backplanes are the same backplane. The system according to claim 9, wherein the input circuit is connected to the first backplane. The input circuit is connected to a third backplane, which is different from the first backplane, and the system is:
With the first bridge circuit connected to the first backplane,
A second bridge circuit that is connected to the third backplane and communicates with the first bridge circuit, wherein the first and second bridge circuits are the first and third backplanes. A second bridge circuit, which forms a common logic backplane including
9. The first and second state processing circuits are configured to acquire the first and second monitoring data portions from the third backplane via the common logic backplane. The system described in. It's a method
By connecting a plurality of circuits to at least one backplane, the plurality of circuits include an input circuit and at least one processing circuit.
The input circuit transmits monitoring data to the backplane to which the input circuit is connected, and the monitoring data represents a measured value of an operating parameter of a mechanical component acquired by a sensor. When,
By the at least one processing circuit
Acquiring a selected portion of the monitoring data from the backplane to which the at least one processing circuit is connected.
Determining the values that characterize the selected monitoring data and transmitting the determined values to the backplane to which the at least one processing circuit is connected, and performing at least one of the determined values. , Including
A method in which the number of processing circuits connected to the at least one backplane is selected independently of the number of input circuits connected to the at least one backplane. Acquiring the first part of the monitoring data from the first backplane by the first processing circuit including the first protection processing circuit connected to the first backplane.
The first protection processing circuit determines the first part of the value based on the first part of the monitoring data.
Sending the first portion of the value to the first backplane and
Acquiring the second part of the monitoring data from the second backplane by the second protection processing circuit including the second processing circuit connected to the second backplane.
The second protection processing circuit determines the second part of the value based on the second part of the monitoring data.
12. The method of claim 12, comprising transmitting the second portion of the value to the second backplane. Obtaining the second portion of the value from the second backplane by the first protection processing circuit, and
The first protection processing circuit determines the value based on the first and second value portions.
13. The method of claim 13, comprising transmitting the determined value to the first backplane by the first protection processing circuit. 14. The method of claim 14, wherein the first and second backplanes are the same backplane. 15. The method of claim 15, comprising connecting the input circuit to the first backplane. The input circuit is connected to a third backplane, which is different from the first backplane.
Connecting the first bridge circuit to the first backplane and
Connecting the second bridge circuit to the third backplane and
Placing the first and second bridge circuits in a communication state, wherein the first and second bridge circuits form a common logic backplane including the first and third backplanes in the communication state. Including things to do
14. The first and second protection processing circuits are configured to acquire the first and second monitoring data portions from the third backplane via the common logic backplane. The method described in. The first and second backplanes are different backplanes, and the method is:
Connecting the first bridge circuit to the first backplane and
Connecting the second bridge circuit to the second backplane and
Placing the first and second bridge circuits in a communication state, wherein the first and second bridge circuits form a common logic backplane including the first and second backplanes in the communication state. Including things to do
13. The method of claim 13, wherein the first protection processing circuit is configured to obtain the second portion of the value from the second backplane via the common logic backplane. Acquiring the first part of the monitoring data from the first backplane by the first processing circuit including the first state processing circuit connected to the first backplane.
Outputting the first part of the monitoring data to the network by the first state processing circuit and
Acquiring the second part of the monitoring data from the second backplane by the second processing circuit including the second state processing circuit connected to the second backplane.
The second state processing circuit includes outputting the second part of the monitoring data to the network.
12. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second state processing circuits are prohibited from transmitting data to the first and second backplanes, respectively. 19. The method of claim 19, wherein the first and second backplanes are the same backplane. The method of claim 20, wherein the input circuit is coupled to the first backplane. The input circuit is connected to a third backplane, which is different from the first backplane.
Connecting the first bridge circuit to the first backplane and
Connecting the second bridge circuit to the third backplane and
Placing the first and second bridge circuits in a communication state, wherein the first and second bridge circuits form a common logic backplane including the first and third backplanes in the communication state. Including things to do
13. The first and second state processing circuits are configured to acquire the first and second monitoring data portions from the third backplane via the common logic backplane. The method described in.

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